AWB Chapter 410 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (21)
Chapter 410 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (21)
Lu Liruan's mind wasn't quite working right now, but it seemed that the footsteps appeared around the same time as yesterday.
"They're here!" Lu Liruan turned around and exchanged a glance with Liao Tingyuan.
Liao Tingyuan was also nearing his limit. The person he had grabbed seemed tireless, struggling with terrifying strength and attempting to attack Liao Tingyuan.
Liao Tingyuan's arm had been grazed several times by the tip of his knife.
Lu Liruan watched helplessly as half of his white shirt sleeve was stained red.
But I couldn't help much, and I was extremely anxious.
Footsteps could be heard in the corridor. Lu Liruan felt a sense of relief that they had finally arrived, but her nerves were on edge even more.
According to her and Liao Tingyuan's analysis, their simultaneous appearance here must indicate that there is some kind of relationship between them, just like the cat that appeared a few days ago. There must also be some kind of relationship between them, appearing at some time.
But even if the two of them really are in a relationship, Lu Liruan and Liao Tingyuan cannot predict what will happen in a little while.
Lu Liruan thought to herself: If these two people are a criminal gang, will they transform when they meet up later?
It switched to assembly mode and launched an even more terrifying attack on itself and Liao Tingyuan.
The original plan was to defeat them one by one, but they made a mistake and let them reunite. Does that mean that Liao Tingyuan and I are doomed?
The door won't close now...
It seems like every place is a dead end.
Liao Tingyuan had obviously thought of this problem as well. He suddenly raised his voice and said to Lu Liruan, "Ruanruan, wait a moment. If things don't go well, I'll hold them off while you find a chance to escape."
"Hide outside until dawn and come back. Try it tomorrow night and see if you don't come back here..." Liao Tingyuan quickly thought about what to do next, wanting to give Lu Liruan these instructions as soon as possible.
But Lu Liruan interrupted him directly: "How could I possibly leave you here alone and run away by myself? Would I have no conscience?"
Liao Tingyuan: ...
He paused for a moment, and Lu Liruan couldn't see the expression on his face, but she could feel that his voice seemed to carry a faint smile, sounding gentler than usual: "Don't talk like a child... Ruanruan, listen to me."
"I won't listen!" Lu Liruan stared intently at the dark stairwell: "If I leave you here and run away, and you really die here, then it's no different from me being dead."
Lu Liruan felt from the bottom of her heart that, regardless of the mission, she couldn't get over the fact that her husband had selfishly gone to escape on his own under Liao Tingyuan's cover. Even if she left the mission, she would still feel guilty.
No matter the world or the place, you can't do something that makes people...
I thought that with Liao Tingyuan's personality—capable of being both a father and a mother—I would have to keep persuading myself, but unexpectedly, Liao Tingyuan didn't.
He actually laughed out loud under these circumstances, and then said softly, "Okay, I won't say anything more. Stay away from the steps, or you might accidentally slip and fall."
"Oh!" Lu Liruan took a step back, feeling that Liao Tingyuan's reaction was a bit strange, but at this moment, she could not continue to think about Liao Tingyuan's reaction.
The footsteps were already very close.
It's okay...
I've already figured out the trick to "killing" that thing!
I'll just do this first, then that... and then I'll get it sorted out!
Lu Liruan was mentally rehearsing what angle to swing the ladle at to try and shovel the thing's head off in one go!
The situation was so urgent that Lu Liruan was completely unaware of how absurd and cruel her current thoughts were.
Just as Lu Liruan was mentally preparing herself, ready to see what she had seen the night before—a rotting, human-shaped mass—she was about to witness this.
The next second, Lu Liruan saw a... appear at the corner of the stairs.
It's a fairly complete humanoid shape.
Lu Liruan: ?
Lu Liruan looked closely and realized that she was indeed not mistaken.
Compared to yesterday, that thing was indeed more "complete," and Lu Liruan could see clearly the clothes and pants he was wearing.
Yesterday, his clothes were soaked in the putrid liquid, losing their original color and becoming sticky like wrinkled skin, clinging to his decaying organs...
But not today; his clothes were just wet, as if he had just come out of the water.
A long trail of water stretched behind him, and Lu Liruan still couldn't see his face clearly.
Holy crap, has this evolved or what?
Lu Liruan squinted, trying to see clearly whether the neat wound on his neck from yesterday was still there.
But the light in the corridor was too dim, and even after Lu Liruan lit a second flashlight, the light was almost completely absorbed...
“Brother…” Lu Liruan turned around and looked at Liao Tingyuan.
From Liao Tingyuan's perspective, he couldn't see the things on the stairs immediately.
Hearing Lu Liruan's trembling voice, Liao Tingyuan frowned slightly: "What's wrong?"
“He, he…” Lu Liruan stammered, “He came here in one piece today.”
Liao Tingyuan: ?
Then Liao Tingyuan instantly understood what Lu Liruan meant!
They were both so focused on the one being controlled by Liao Tingyuan that they both overlooked something!
taste.
Yesterday, when I heard footsteps, I could already smell an extremely strong stench of decay...
But not today!
The smell in the corridor didn't change after the footsteps were heard.
"Come here, come to me..." Liao Tingyuan gritted his teeth. He could no longer tell whether it was the pain from staying in one place for too long or the pain from the wounds on his arm. In any case, he was numb with pain.
Liao Tingyuan was no longer even sure if he was still putting in any effort; he could only stare at his arm, lest he suddenly lose his grip due to exhaustion.
Lu Liruan obediently moved to his side.
Before she could speak, Liao Tingyuan continued, "I can at least hold them off for ten seconds, so you still have a chance to escape." He turned to look at Lu Liruan.
Even in the dim light, Lu Liruan could still see his slender figure and his handsome but somewhat indifferent face. When he said these words, it seemed that he was not considering his own life or death at all.
All I was thinking about was... buying myself those ten-odd seconds.
Lu Liruan felt that if she nodded now, he would really risk his life to help her gain those ten-odd seconds to escape.
It's as if he doesn't care whether he's strangled, stabbed, or dies in some cruel way.
As long as Lu Liruan speaks up and asks him for those precious ten seconds or so.
Lu Liruan looked at his slightly upturned lips. He was still smiling, gentle, calm, kind and benevolent, reminiscent of a white porcelain statue of the Virgin Mary.
Lu Liruan felt that even if it wasn't him, but someone else who needed those ten seconds, he would still give it to them, even if the price was his own life.
At that moment, Lu Liruan thought he was the one who was more absurd. Sometimes, excessive gentleness and compassion, seemingly without limits of dedication and sacrifice, can be quite chilling.
Lu Liruan was even a little afraid to look at the smile on his lips.
"No need, stop talking!" Lu Liruan looked away: "I think he's become...complete? Maybe it's related to what you have in your hand."
“This one in your hand is also intact, but it was intact when it first appeared. When that thing appeared yesterday, it was like that… Do you think it’s possible that that thing died before this one in your hand?” In this critical moment, Lu Liruan’s brain cells were burning wildly.
She then skillfully raised her hand and tapped the head of the thing Liao Tingyuan was holding a few times.
Like a fishmonger tapping a fish's head, try to make him behave a little.
"Damn it, be quiet! I can't hear you!" Lu Liruan shouted at the "person" who was still howling after being hit on the head, as if venting her anger.
“First they die…” Liao Tingyuan continued her train of thought: “You mean, like those cats, everything that appeared in this space is already dead, and they are showing us their death? And the aggression is an effect of the space’s intention to attack us, a compounding effect?”
“Yes!” Lu Liruan nodded. The relatively complete thing had already stepped onto the last step.
Today, Lu Liruan didn't smell the nauseating stench, but rather a... smell like a swimming pool, the smell of water with added disinfectant.
"Is he here looking for that thing?" Lu Liruan asked in a low voice, her voice barely audible.
She and Liao Tingyuan had reached a corner.
The platform at the entrance is such a small space, and now four human-shaped figures are crammed together... The distance between them is already very close.
It was right in front of them.
"Ahhhhhh—" Liao Tingyuan suddenly felt his hand loosen!
The "person's" strength suddenly became immense, as if he hadn't expended any energy during the time he was locked with Liao Tingyuan. Now, with this sudden burst of strength, Liao Tingyuan's arm was instantly freed from his grasp.
The next second, the sharp knife in his hand slashed towards Liao Tingyuan and Lu Liruan!
"Thump—" Lu Liruan felt that she had never reacted so quickly in her life.
It seemed as if they had transcended human physiological instincts. Upon seeing the blade gleaming coldly in the darkness, they didn't dodge but instead charged straight at it!
Even their eyes were wide open!
At the same instant, Liao Tingyuan grabbed Lu Liruan's hand and controlled the direction. The combined strength of the two blocked the knife!
Sparks even flew when the metal collided. Lu Liruan's arm was jolted and it hurt, and her forearm felt like it was about to shatter.
All I could hear was Liao Tingyuan's panting.
Lu Liruan felt something flowing down her fingers, down her wrist, and onto her arm; it was warm…
It is Liao Tingyuan's blood.
Lu Liruan's hair stood on end! Although she couldn't see the color, the sensation of the liquid flowing through her skin felt incredibly strange to her.
It's as if it touched on something deeper about Liao Tingyuan.
The area where the two people were touching was warm, but Lu Liruan felt very cold, just like Liao Tingyuan's bloodless hand.
Lu Liruan suddenly realized that she had been influenced by Liao Tingyuan in some way.
It wasn't the kind of influence that moved Lu Liruan felt was, but rather the kind of influence that infected her.
It was very abrupt; this feeling just appeared out of nowhere.
But nothing else mattered now. Ignoring the excruciating pain in her arm, Lu Liruan turned to observe, wary of the angle from which the next knife would come.
Liao Tingyuan held her hand tightly without letting go. Although his hand was long and delicate, it was a finger's length longer than Lu Liruan's, enveloping her hand in his.
It smelled of blood.
But the next blow didn't come.
The second flashlight went completely out the instant it blocked the first blow.
Lu Liruan felt remorseful. She shouldn't have thought of holding on a little longer and should have just turned on the third flashlight.
But now the third flashlight is still in her crossbody bag, but Lu Liruan's hand can't let go of the big spoon.
He silently counted for a few seconds, but the whistling sound of the next slash still didn't come.
Lu Liruan withdrew her legs, which were in a horse stance and were on guard, and felt that Liao Tingyuan's grip on her had loosened a little.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Liruan stuffed the handle of the large spoon into Liao Tingyuan's hand. She didn't dare to make a sound, but just pinched the back of Liao Tingyuan's hand as a gesture.
The two of them had reached a high level of understanding in a very short time, and Liao Tingyuan quickly took over.
Then he quickly turned around and shielded Lu Liruan behind him and between the corner of the wall, allowing Lu Liruan to move safely.
Lu Liruan's palms were sticky, so she wiped them on her clothes, then opened her crossbody bag and took out the last flashlight.
"Should we open it now? Will it attract attention?" Lu Liruan leaned forward, unable to see Liao Tingyuan clearly, until she bumped into his back. Lu Liruan then put her arm around his shoulder and asked in a breathy voice.
Liao Tingyuan leaned back against her, his back against the wall, his breathing rapid: "Open it, the sound is going towards the stairs."
"Then I'll turn it on." Lu Liruan listened to him, gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and directly pushed the flashlight switch to the highest setting.
There is still some brightness when it is turned on.
Lu Liruan's unfocused gaze in the darkness, just as it regained focus:
Upon seeing the stairwell, a flash of cold light appeared, and the person holding the knife plunged the blade straight into the other person's abdomen.
Cruelly, he stirred the knife handle.
Turn the upward-facing blade to a downward-facing position, slowly—
Cut open.
The man's abdomen was like a leather pouch. The moment it was cut open, before the blood could even gush out, Lu Liruan felt she could see the fat granules under the skin clearly.
"what……"
The visual impact was filled with a brutal and chaotic atmosphere, arousing a tremendous, trembling fear in people.
Lu Liruan felt her mouth being tightly covered by Liao Tingyuan. No matter how much the air in her lungs wanted to be expelled as a scream, it was blocked in her throat.
It caused spasms in his throat.
Lu Liruan felt like she heard a "sizzling" sound as flesh was cut open by a sharp object, and then something sticky...
The scene was projected onto Lu Liruan's retina, and she couldn't help but want to bite her lip, but she only touched Liao Tingyuan's fingers.
The "person" holding the knife reached into the cut open abdominal cavity.
Something was pulled out.